Filip Hrgovic survives horror cut to drop and beat David Adeleye in brutal and bloody war

Filip Hrgovic suffered a nasty and gruesome cut but recovered to drop and outpoint David Adeleye in a thrilling battle.

The Croatian was looking to secure his second consecutive win after beating Joe Joyce in April.

Meanwhile Adeleye was looking to make a big step up from British level following his controversial KO victory over Jeamie TKV in April.

The pair met in a blockbuster clash on the undercard of Moses Itauma vs Dillian Whyte in Saudi Arabia.

In the second round, Hrgovic suffered a gruesome cut to his right eye with blood pouring from the horrific wound.

The Croatian monster was checked by a doctor, but his cutman Abel Sanchez was able to patch him up and he continued the fight.

Hrgovic then dropped Adeleye to the canvas in the eighth round, but the Briton came back and it turned into a brutal war with the crowd on their feet.

Ultimately it wasn’t enough despite his brave performance, as Hrgovic cruised to a decision on the judges’ scorecards.

‘El Animal’ was declared the victor with the scores reading 98-91, 99-90 and 99-90 all in his favour.

Adeleye can be proud of his efforts but ultimately it wasn’t enough on the night and he will now need to go back to the drawing board.

What happened during Filip Hrgovic vs David Adeleye?

It was big stakes for both fighters as they looked to push their name further towards the top ten of the blue-riband division.

For the Briton, Adeleye, it was a big step-up and he immediately looked to be in for a challenge against the huge ‘El Animal’ who took centre ring in the opener.

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Hrgovic started the brighter and imposed his rangey style on Adeleye, who responded well and tired to get his own jab going by using his own athletic stature.

Incredibly in the second round, Hrgovic was cut again by his right eye, a familiar sight which plagued him in his June defeat to Daniel Dubois last year.

Hrgovic went back to his corner and blood seeped from the wound, with cutman Abel Sanchez doing his best to get his charge back out.

It was checked by the ringside doctor who cleared him to return to the ring, but it seemed he was on borrowed time.

Hrgovic was boxing well but he was rocked by a booming left hand in the third, although his granite chin absorbed it well and he remained in the ascendency.

As the midway point approached, heavy artillery continued to be traded but it was Hrgovic who was the more active and continued to edge the rounds.

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Adeleye’s trainer Adam Booth was already suggesting he needed to target a stoppage inside the distance, with four rounds to go of the ten round contest.

But the British heavyweight found himself on the canvas in the eighth with a spiteful right hand sending him crashing to the deck.

Incredibly he stood up resolute and responded with his own big shots, and he too showed some remarkable determination and grit to bite down on the gumshield.

Adeleye then landed blow after blow with Hrgovic then looking out on his feet in one of the most explosive rounds of the year.

Ultimately it wasn’t enough and he came up short, but Adeleye will now know he can compete on the fringes of world level.